The disposal of waste liquors containing dissolved organic and biochemical compounds is a continuing problem for a significant number of businesses, governmental agencies, and other concerns. Production of organic chemicals, pulp and paper, food, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, plastics, and hundreds of other products result in a large quantity of liquors that contain numerous organic and biochemical compounds. In addition, processing of animal wastes and sewage produces large quantities of liquors containing organic and biochemical waste materials. Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) and Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) are the standard methods for measuring the quantity of organic and biochemical compounds in waste liquors.
These liquors, which are mostly water, have traditionally been disposed of by dumping them into streams and other waterways. The COD and BOD of liquors going into streams as effluents, however, are regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Industries and other concerns that produce liquors that have a BOD or COD above the EPA limitation must reduce the BOD and COD level before disposing of the liquor in the stream or find alternative methods for disposing of the liquor.
Alternative methods to stream disposal for high BOD and COD liquors have generally involved storage of the liquor in drums until disposal or pumping the material into large lagoons. Startup and maintenance expenses for drum and lagoon storage facilities, however, can be very burdensome to the industry, particularly when the industry produces large quantities of liquors.
Incineration is a possible alternative, but large quantities of water in the liquor make the liquor unable to sustain or support combustion without the assistance of auxillary fuels.
A method is, therefore, needed which can provide an economical and efficient means for disposing of organic waste liquors. The method should be particularly useful for disposing of large quantities of liquors on-site, thereby avoiding the large costs associated with transportation or storage in drums or lagoons.
Methods for making emulsions and numerous emulsion compositions are well known in the prior art. H. Bennett, Emulsion Technology, Chemical Publishing Company, N.Y. 1943, pages 75-80 discloses numerous emulsifying methods and materials. U.S. Pat. No. 4,451,267 discloses a microemulsion made from vegetable oil and aqueous alcohol with trialkylamine surfactant as an alternative fuel for diesel engines. U.S. Pat. No. 4,083,698 discloses a method for making stable water-in-oil emulsions from a fuel, water, alcohol, and surfactant system.